Novel virtual reality assessment and intervention tools for executive functions to improve child and youth mental health outcomes

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Project of $2,141,925 over 3 years

• Supported by CQDM through:
  Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE)
• And by co-funding partner:
  – Neuro Solutions Group
  – Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation
  – Brain Canada Foundation

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Challenge

Executive functions (EF) are the everyday skills used in self-regulation of thoughts, feelings, and actions. They allow us to inhibit an action or thought, remember instructions, manage time, and multitask. EF impairments can lead to academic difficulties, lesser vocational attainment, reduced quality of life and poor mental health. They are a core feature of many neurodevelopmental (ex: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder-ASD) and acquired brain disorders (ex: Traumatic Brain Injury, stroke). Identifying impairments and optimising executive skills is possible through non-pharmacological avenues and is key to improving cognitive, social and emotional functioning, but current tools are often ineffective because they do not reflect real-world functioning and are not engaging for youth.

Solution

Virtual reality (VR) is a promising, cutting-edge tool that is engaging, immersive and can reproduce real-world scenarios that solicit EF. The experienced teams from CHUSJ, the Hospital for Sick Children and the NRC’s Medical Devices Research Centre (MD) have developed a suite of VR tools (using the NRC’s bWell platform, which offers interactive VR environments which will be personalized in this case for EF)) for evaluating and optimizing EF in children. In this project, they will use a large community sample to develop performance-based algorithms using VR interactive exercises to rapidly identify, stratify, and monitor executive deficits. The industrial partner, Neuro Solutions Group, in collaboration with the NRC’s MD, will provide insight as MD adapts the bWell platform for use in various settings, including from home. Expected software developments include tutorials, connectivity with clinical profiles and new usability features. Using this tailored version of the platform, the research teams will also test how effective a 5-week home training with the bWell–EF exercises is in improving EF in children with ADHD. Concurrently, they will start by examining barriers to acceptance and use of bWell by collecting data on factors that could impede uptake.

Expected Achievements/Impact

Through this collaborative research project, a promising, novel, and unique VR tool will be validated for clinical care of a range of brain-based disorders. The turnkey VR assessment and intervention solutions will be integrated into Neuro Solutions Group’s Kairos platform for ease of dissemination and use in clinical settings. Critically, the joint development and standardization of these VR tools across Quebec and Ontario will ensure that the tools are applicable to many communities.